Customer Reviews

Up Against My Heart

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Thank God Sony saw what MCA never could...that Patty Loveless is a force to be reckoned with! This, the last of her MCA output is evidence of that!

This CD is Patty at her best. She particularly stands out on "Up Against My Heart", "Hurt Me Bad" and gives the chill bumps a work out with "Can't Stop Myself From Loving You" which, if MCA had promoted properly could have been a #1 single, instead of promoting all that drivel they call 'country'. This is not drivel..this is true country and you can bet your money on it! Patty Loveless never disappoints and this is one of her most underrated CDs!!

Patty Loveless' best album with MCA also marked her swan song for the label. Though the album spawned the rockers 'Jealous Bone' and 'Hurt Me Bad(In A Real Good Way)', it remains one of her least commercially successful records, despite maintaining and surpassing the quality of her previous albums. 'Can't Stop Myself From Loving You', in which Loveless sounds like she's inhabited by Patsy Cline, is itself alone worth the price of admission. Her deep-rooted mountain soprano remains one of the great instruments of modern country, and those who discovered Loveless after she started hitting big with her Sony albums would be doing themselves a huge disservice by not checking out was is inarguably the most underrated album in her deep catalog.

I was knocked over by the WOMEN OF COUNTRY television special a few years ago, and among the moments that blew me away (other than Tammy Wynette's striding onto the stage during the entire all-star group's rendition of Chapin Carpenter's "Everything We Got, We Got the Hard Way") was Patty Loveless' singing the heart-tugging lyrics "I woulda never found you, if he had wanted to stay -- oh he hurt me bad, in a real good way!" Man, what a lady. I bought this album and others of Loveless' shortly thereafter, to my great pleasure.

She knows how to pick tunes with fascinating lyrics. "Timber, I'm Fallin' in Love" (on another album) is also a personal favorite that shows both her humor and her willingness to sing songs of personal vulnerability. A strong, clear female voice, and deserving of all the attention she may get, I prefer her sincerity to the flashier stylists currently on the scene. I liked her fine as a brunette, but I understand the marketing pressure, and what she does with her hair is truly unimportant to this fan.

This album opens with the brilliant rocker, Jealous bone. There several wonderful ballads including such quality offerings as Nobody loves you like I do, I already miss you like you're gone, If you didn't want me, If it's the last thing I do and Can't stop myself from loving you.

As ever, Patty is supported by some of the best musicians and backing singers. Vince Gill has often provided backing vocals, but more surprising is the appearance of Dolly Parton on the mid-tempo song, Waiting for the phone to ring, and Lyle Lovett on a cover of his own song, God will.

Two excellent mid-tempo songs (Hurt me bad in a real good way, I came straight to you) complete a classic but frequently overlooked album.

As this was Patty's last MCA album, it may not have received the promotional effort that it would have had if she had stayed with the label, but no committed Patty fan should overlook it.

Here it is, 17 years later, and I am reviewing this album because I STILL listen to it on a regular basis, and it holds up just as well as if she released it yesterday. There is nothing dated or hokey; it's a great album start to finish, just as fresh and clear as a cool mountain stream. When I first heard "Can't Stop Myself From Lovin' You" on the radio back then, I thought it must have been some Patsy Cline classic I had somehow missed. This song is a larger than life song: it has all the qualities of a true, great, eternal classic. I still get chills when I listen to it. Evidently it was because MCA didn't promote this song that Patty left for SONY. Good for her. MCA didn't deserve her. They promoted the pop princesses, while Patty was interested in singing great, true country music, so she moved to Sony EPIC; all for the best, because she then came out with three totally excellent albums in a row. Anyway, this last MCA album is definitely one to have -- all the songs on this are good -- it is a real country album, fun to listen to (and GREAT for singing along at the top of your lungs while you're raking the yard if you're one of those). I especially love "Nobody Loves You Like I Do" after I read that Kostas wrote it to his dog. Now I sing it to my dogs when we're sitting on the porch, listening to Patty. Not a clunker on this album. Turns out Patty was the diamond in amongst the rhinestones in 1991, and this album proves it. When you can keep going back to it nearly 20 years later and it still sounds fresh and new, you know you're dealing with the true article.

I have always been a vivid fan of Patty's I have listened to everything from her 1st cd to her last cd and I have to say this cd is one of her best albums yet...

Loveless 5th MCA release finds her in hit territory once again. Kostas' John Fogerty-inspired intro riff of "Jealous Bone" established new rock territory for Loveless and became her first hit from this effort. Since she was a rock vocalist for many years, it's a perfect fit here and "Jealous Bone" stretched the boundaries of modern-day country music. The retreating, countrypolitan "Hurt Me Bad (In A Real Good Way)" was a big hit which further solidified Loveless as a superstar. Perhaps the best moment from this CD is her version of Lyle Lovett's "God Will," which comes awful close to his wry, cynical original version. Loveless compromises her bluegrass roots on this effort, nearly abandoning the stark, gritty instrumentation of her earlier efforts in favor of stringed arrangements on some songs. The result was increased CD sales, making MCA happy, but the tentative feel of "Up Against My Heart" leaves the listener wondering if Loveless was happy.

I ordered this album a little over a week ago. It was received in excilent order, brand new, on 12 Jan 2012, from Record Head Corp in West Allis, WI.

What can you say about Patty Loveless! Her powerful mountain soprano is the best instrument of the 90's country era and this album is an excellent example. The standout tracks are "Nobody Loves You Like I Do", "I Already Miss You", "If You Don't Want Me", "If It's The Last Thing I Do", and "God Will" are splendidly arranged and sung. This album has no filler, just C&W performed flawlessly by the former CMA Female Vocalist Of The Year. A must own if you like Patty Loveless or just a country music fan in general. I prefer this to Taylor and Carrie anyday of the year.